TGN Interview with Justin McCoy of Iron Box Games about Angry Sheep

Iron Box Games is running their Kickstarter campaign for their first ever game, a dice and token game called Angry Sheep.

Misterjustin (most notably known for Secret Weapon Miniatures) is at the helm, guiding the sheep ship to its destination. He was kind enough to sit down for a quick minute and field a few questions.

So grab your shepherd’s crook and head out to the pasture as we have another TGN Interview.

TGN: So… sheep. Why sheep?

Misterjustin: BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

TGN: But really… sheep. What’s with the sheep?

MJ: Because sheep are awesome! Especially when they’re being chased by kilted Barbarians, one of whom looks like a former governor.

TGN: Ok, pulling away from that for a minute, you’ve been successful in the bases, terrain and bits business, what drove you to try a dice game?

MJ: I think that most gamers have ideas for games that they’d like to see published. I’m fortunate enough to be in a position to actually make it happen, and lucky enough to know some very talented game designers that can help me turn my ideas into reality. For my part though, I’ve been too busy to play board or tabletop games that require more than about 30 minutes to finish — and so I’m really focused right now on quick, casual games that involve a lot of social interaction… even if it’s not all polite.

TGN: How long has the idea for Angry Sheep been around? Where did you get your inspiration for the game from?

MJ: Angry Sheep actually grew out of another one of our projects – which happened to involve an angry sheep. During one of the development sessions I made the call that we needed a separate game about just the sheep. The rest, as they say, is history. I had actually hoped to unveil the game at GenCon 2012, but other projects, like the Tablescapes Tiles, took priority.

TGN: Your campaign mentions Occupy Wolf-Sheep and Combat Duck. Any insight into how those aspects will work?

MJ: I’ll be unveiling the mechanics for those next week, but both increase the “screw your neighbor” social aspect — with one involving redistribution of sheep, in a sort of FOX News parody of the Occupy movement, and the other gives you a high risk chance to defend your sheep… if your neighbors let you.

TGN: You had good success with your terrain tile Kickstarter. What insights and strategies did you learn from that campaign and transfer into this one?

MJ: Having done it once, I can say that there’s no way to understand a Kickstarter campaign like running one. I had read article, after article, and had access to campaign veterans… but it was still a wild, emotional rollercoaster. I think the biggest thing I’ve taken away from that is a measure of, if you’ll forgive me for saying it, inner peace when it comes to Angry Sheep. Having some idea of what’s going to happen will (hopefully) allow me to avoid the mid-campaign panics this time.

TGN: But really… sheep?

MJ: You should make them angry. You’d like them when they’re angry.

TGN: Anything else you’d like to add for our readers?

MJ: Even if dice and token games aren’t your thing, check out the campaign to see our awesome intro video from Flash Gitz Animation. They did a great job on it, and they’re enthusiastic supporters of the game. Of course, while you’re there you should check out the game… and then pledge… because I enjoy being able to feed my son. Just sayin’.

TGN: As always, our thanks to Misterjustin for talking with us (and Ross “The Legend” for setting up the interview). Go check out the Angry Sheep Kickstarter campaign and maybe pledge in a couple bucks.